In 1995, an avalanche overran an unsuspecting fishing village in Iceland, killing 20 of its residents. Although avalanches are a common occurrence in the region, this was the first avalanche in this village's history to travel as far as the city cent...er. In this video segment adapted from NOVA, learn more about the Iceland avalanche and how engineers plan to protect the village from future avalanches. Closed captioning included. (04:18)[more]

There are two basic elements to an avalanche: a steep, snow-covered slope and a trigger that causes a weak layer within the snow pack to collapse. This video segment adapted from NOVA reveals that the shape of the ice crystals of snowflakes within a ...snow pack is also a critical factor. How well the crystals bond together determines how strong a snow layer is and therefore how stable the snow pack is. Closed captioning included. (04:03)[more]

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